488 EMBERIZID^E. 



common and indigenous to Ireland. North of London it 

 is also found in most, if not all, the counties as far as the 

 Tweed. In Scotland it is common in the usual localities ; 

 has been observed in the Hebrides, and was seen by Mr. 

 Selby upon the margins of all the lochs, and in the 

 swampy districts of Sutherlandshire ; but according to 

 Dr. Fleming this bird does not visit Orkney or Shetland. 

 It is only a summer visitor to Denmark, Norway, and 

 Sweden, appearing in April and retiring in September ; 

 it is found also from Russia to Italy, being very abundant 

 in Holland, as might be expected. 



It is found at Corfu, Sicily, Malta, and Crete, inhabit- 

 ing the marshes in summer and gardens or fields in winter. 



The beak is dusky brown above, paler beneath ; irides 

 hazel ; head, cheeks, and ear-coverts, velvet black, bound- 

 ed by a collar of white, which descends to the breast ; 

 from the angle of the gape a white streak passes backwards 

 and falls into the white collar ; back and wing-coverts 

 black, each feather having a broad margin of rufous or 

 bay ; tertials black on the inner web, red on the outer, 

 and margined with white ; upper tail-coverts grey ; the 

 two outer tail-feathers on each side white, with a dusky 

 brown patch at the base and tip ; the central pair dark 

 brown, margined with red, the others blackish brown ; the 

 tail slightly forked ; chin and throat black, this colour 

 ending in a point directed downwards ; sides of the chest 

 before each wing, breast, belly, and under tail-coverts, 

 white, clouded and streaked on the sides and flanks with 

 brown ; legs, toes, and claws, brown. At the autumn 

 moult in each year the new feathers of the head and throat 

 are tipped with brown, which tips falling off in the follow- 

 ing spring, leave these parts pure black. 



The whole length of the male bird six inches. From 



